Number airline passengers in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Number airline passengers was 3.87 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
3.87 million
Change on year
up 18.9%
World rank
69th
of 183 countries
All-time high
5.88 million
in 2018
All-time low
100,000
in 1978
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Number airline passengers in Sri Lanka, 1970–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, number airline passengers in Sri Lanka stood at 3.87 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.9% on the previous year and down 19.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number airline passengers in Sri Lanka peaked at 5.88 million in 2018 and was at its lowest, 100,000, in 1978.
Sri Lanka ranks 69th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number airline passengers in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 104,600 | — |
| 1971 | 116,000 | +10.9% |
| 1972 | 116,000 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 108,500 | -6.5% |
| 1974 | 107,700 | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 117,300 | +8.9% |
| 1976 | 127,700 | +8.9% |
| 1977 | 181,000 | +41.7% |
| 1978 | 100,000 | -44.8% |
| 1979 | 105,300 | +5.3% |
| 1980 | 235,000 | +123.2% |
| 1981 | 405,200 | +72.4% |
| 1982 | 572,700 | +41.3% |
| 1983 | 616,500 | +7.6% |
| 1984 | 681,300 | +10.5% |
| 1985 | 698,600 | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 611,400 | -12.5% |
| 1987 | 586,900 | -4.0% |
| 1988 | 694,300 | +18.3% |
| 1989 | 744,500 | +7.2% |
| 1990 | 891,800 | +19.8% |
| 1991 | 892,700 | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 1.05 million | +17.1% |
| 1993 | 993,800 | -5.0% |
| 1994 | 1.07 million | +7.3% |
| 1995 | 1.16 million | +8.3% |
| 1996 | 1.17 million | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 1.23 million | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 1.21 million | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 1.42 million | +17.2% |
| 2000 | 1.76 million | +23.5% |
| 2001 | 1.72 million | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 1.74 million | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.96 million | +12.5% |
| 2004 | 2.41 million | +23.3% |
| 2005 | 2.82 million | +16.8% |
| 2006 | 3.10 million | +10.0% |
| 2007 | 3.21 million | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 2.95 million | -8.0% |
| 2009 | 2.42 million | -18.1% |
| 2010 | 3.01 million | +24.4% |
| 2011 | 3.67 million | +21.8% |
| 2012 | 4.62 million | +25.9% |
| 2013 | 4.79 million | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 4.76 million | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 4.91 million | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 5.28 million | +7.6% |
| 2017 | 5.40 million | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 5.88 million | +8.9% |
| 2019 | 5.58 million | -5.1% |
| 2020 | 1.24 million | -77.8% |
| 2021 | 871,685 | -29.7% |
| 2022 | 3.25 million | +273.1% |
| 2023 | 3.87 million | +18.9% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 3.87 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.37 million, 2.8× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 3.87 million is below the median for South Asia, which is 4.08 million, 95% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number airline passengers in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +273.1% | 871,685 | 3.25 million |
| 1980 | +123.2% | 105,300 | 235,000 |
| 2020 | -77.8% | 5.58 million | 1.24 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 118,410 | 100,000 | 181,000 | 10 |
| 1980s | 584,640 | 235,000 | 744,500 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.11 million | 891,800 | 1.42 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.41 million | 1.72 million | 3.21 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.79 million | 3.01 million | 5.88 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.31 million | 871,685 | 3.87 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1784 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.539 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1604 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9713 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number airline passengers in Sri Lanka?
- Number airline passengers in Sri Lanka was 3.87 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number airline passengers recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 5.88 million in 2018.
- What is the lowest number airline passengers recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 100,000 in 1978.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for number airline passengers?
- Sri Lanka ranks 69th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number airline passengers rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Number airline passengers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).